Feeling a little mad at Sears

[Happyshooter]

I usually don't get mad at companies, but I am a little this morning.

Years ago my father gave me his old craftsman floor drill press. It uses a funny little narrow drive belt. The belt was old and broke so years ago I went to the sears repair center in the city down the road. I was told sears didn't stock that belt part anymore.

We were posting here in another thread about that model drill press because another poster was thinking about buying one. I told my story about how I had to drive quite aways and buy a new belt from a tool supply house.

Another poster says you can order the belt from sears. He says to go online at sears parts center and look. I do.

Turns out sears stopped the old model number belt, but there was a new replacement belt number in place of it.

I am not enraged, but I am not real happy with sears right now.

 

[GT89mustang]

Its possible they could cross reference at the time? or maybe they were just being lazy. At least you can get it up and running now.

 

[Red Green]

I would send an email to Sears. Play up how you had to buy replacment parts from anouther company because their employee was to lazy to look up the part you needed. One of the few things Sears has going for it now is the Sears Parts center. It is nice to be able to order the parts to fix stuff from them.

 

[Happyshooter]

It has been running the whole time. I just had to call around and then drive a long ways--maybe an hour?--each way to get the same freaking thing sears had all along.

 

[Joe B.]

How long ago did you first call them. It seems like they have put a lot of work into their parts website recently. There is a lot of stuff on there that may not have been there in the past.

 

[TAMPAGT07]

I know how you feel. A while back, I returned a flex socket that I broke. I handed what was left of the ratchet end and the sales person says, "It's not a Craftsman." I then pointed out the C that was clearly visible on the broken tool. He said, "I think I know a craftsman tool whenI see one, and this is not one." I then replied, "Obviously you do not, because it is a craftsman." Another employee then walked over, looked at it, and replaced it.

 

[billymade]

You can look up parts with a Sears model # here: www.searspartsdirect.com

 

[Lhorn]

I went to a service center too only once and they were useless. I do think that it's pretty cool that you can still get parts for these old drill presses however. I have no idea how old mine is but probably 2-3 decades and I went onto searspartsdirect and you can get bearings and all kind of parts for it. I'm not sure if I'd expect to be able to get parts for decades old tool made by other inexpensive homeowner brands.

It does **** that the people they hire are often clueless.

 

[JSBriggs]

It does **** that the people they hire are often clueless.

It ***** that there are so many clueless people out there. I understand that a lot of these types of jobs are low paying, but regardless of pay, take pride in your work, know your job, the systems you use, shortcuts, tricks of the trade etc. Try to be the best (fill in the blank) there is. That is my biggest frustration.


-Jeff

 

[Aberdale]

That does stink. But it doesn't sound like this is Sears fault . . . sounds like you had Skippy Skywalker waiting on you that day that didn't know Jack about the repair parts business. That could happen anywhere, with any company. Unfortunately service always comes down to one individual.

Dale

 

[bmxr4life87]

The employees at the local repair center here don't know **** its frustrating when I can find a part from my phone quicker than they can from their damn computer they are stupid and don't even try to be of any help to you

 

[35mastr]

Umm if you have a dicontinued machine or a machine that Sears no longer sells. Why the hell would you be mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Parts are normally only available while the machine is being sold.

If that was the case I would be pissed off all the time. Being that I only buy equipment that is 40-60 years old.

Parts are easily found or made. You just must have a little patience.

 

[woody 73]

I find that it never pays to get mad I look for an older employee!

This might help you at least you can give it a try, I see in wood working stores a Link type belt not sure of the name. You can add or take off a link and make yourself a new belt. Again I do not know the width of these belts but you can take in your old belt.

Another idea I bring in my old belts to our local hardware store and they never have any problems finding a replacement.

Hope this helps Woody.

 

[l_bilyk]

Just take the old belt to any auto chain and get an industrial replacement. Either that, or get a link belt from a woodcraft store or any woodworking place. A belt is a belt.. I would not even bother with sears.

 

[JWink]

I do hate when people that work at sears have no idea how to do their job. I work at sears and some how I always end up fixing the car as well as writing the ticket while the CSA (service writer) looks over my shoulder. Then I hear "oh okay, that’s not so hard, I can do that" next time rolls around and im doing both jobs again.

But like someone else said, look for an older employee that’s what I always have to do when I have a tool question.

I have witnessed my fair share of clueless people hired by sears to do a job they don’t know anything about. I like to think, at my store anyway, that it's getting better. I don't know how true that is but at the end of the day I guess all I can do is my job and help as many people as I can help.

 

[crewchief888]

It ***** that there are so many clueless people out there. I understand that a lot of these types of jobs are low paying, but regardless of pay, take pride in your work, know your job, the systems you use, shortcuts, tricks of the trade etc. Try to be the best (fill in the blank) there is. That is my biggest frustration.


-Jeff

mine too, but sadly most of the people i run into these days dont have a clue what they are looking for, nor do they care.
i think long gone are the days when a new(er) young employee wanted to get ahead at their job and be the best they could be. so many times i see someone "just putting in time". no matter if the waitress that walks by my table, or the big box store employee that disappers after i ask a question, or the goofball at the autoparts store that knows nothing except whats on his/her computer screen
sorry, but i wasnt "schooled" this way, and daily i do things that "aint my job", sometimes only because the person that does that job is busy with customers at the parts counter, or the phone is ringing off the hook, or they simply havent had lunch yet, and it's 2:30pm.

 

[X1 Mike]

People seem to demand the absolute lowest price on an item and then want the best service. If you agree to pay more for an item they will pay more and attract more employees with a more professional attitude. If I go to a industrial supply house or other pro tool seller I know I will get better service. The bottom line is the bottom line.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

If you agree to pay more for an item they will pay more and attract more employees with a more professional attitude.

I dont believe that. You can find lousy customer service now matter how much you're overpaying for something. Ever been to a Harley dealership?

 

[X1 Mike]

I dont believe that. You can find lousy customer service now matter how much you're overpaying for something. Ever been to a Harley dealership?

You must have never gone to my Harley dealership.

 

[Coach James]

I went into our Sears franchise store back in August and ordered some parts to fix my C-man shopvac. It took a month for them to come in and of course one part was missing. It was the locking ring that holds the filter in place.

They called Sears parts and got the run around so they ordered it again and a second month went by and no ring. The manager called Sears parts and got more bs to the point he yelled at the guy over the phone. They ordered it a third time.

Two more weeks and no ring. Manager offered to give me a refund on all the parts and let me keep the parts. I said thanks but I would still have to buy another shopvac.

Then he said "Wait a minute. Let me see if there is a substitute part for that ring." Turned out the old part number had been dropped a couple years ago but nobody at Sears parts apparently knew that. Manager ordered the ring using the "new" part number and it was in my hand four days layer.

How could the people at Sears parts not know their own part number had been dropped/changed two years earlier?

Coach

 

[Art From De Leon]

I went into our Sears franchise store back in August and ordered some parts to fix my C-man shopvac. It took a month for them to come in and of course one part was missing. It was the locking ring that holds the filter in place.

They called Sears parts and got the run around so they ordered it again and a second month went by and no ring. The manager called Sears parts and got more bs to the point he yelled at the guy over the phone. They ordered it a third time.

Two more weeks and no ring. Manager offered to give me a refund on all the parts and let me keep the parts. I said thanks but I would still have to buy another shopvac.

Then he said "Wait a minute. Let me see if there is a substitute part for that ring." Turned out the old part number had been dropped a couple years ago but nobody at Sears parts apparently knew that. Manager ordered the ring using the "new" part number and it was in my hand four days layer.

How could the people at Sears parts not know their own part number had been dropped/changed two years earlier?

Coach

Easy, when Halliburton went to the SAP system, everything was changed over to the 'new' part numbers, after 10 years, you still had to list the SAP number and the 'legacy' number, and hope that one or the other would work.

Then there were the parts that had the 'name' that everybody used, but NO ONE could tell you what the correct name for it was. Like the 'donkey ****' rubber for Martin Decker pressure transducers, you would up having at least 3 styles, with NONE interchangable, and seemingly NO records were ever kept as to what style (Martin Decker model) was installed when the unit was built, much less what was sent out to replace the original. Then you had the Bellophram back pressure valves, most places would send a complete replacement, BUT then you had the managers who MIGHT stock the repair parts, but couldn't understand what it was you were needing when the SOB would cut out the silicone diaphram.

SAP was a big joke, but they just had to have it, to be 'cutting edge', and I think one of the ex-big managers had went to work for SAP, after he left Halliburton, so he got his cut of the pie.